Should I remove my dogs dew claws?
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How old is your dog?
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Our first vet talked us into removing Heidi's dew claws when we had her spayed at 6mos. It was a big mistake and I regret it. The incisions were very large and painful. With certain breeds the dew claws are loose and floppy but Heidi's were tight and attached to the bone. It's basically like having a finger removed. Since she was young and rambunctious, it was very hard to keep the bandages on and clean and they got infected. I think she had the bandages on for almost 2 months. We ended up switching vets and he told me it was completely unnecesary to have them removed unless you are doing a lot of hunting or a sport where the dog will be running through brush a lot. I wouldn't recommend removing them.
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It is strange that Orson's were already gone
when I got him at 8 weeks old...all dogs
are born with them right??
I find it strange that his were removed already
b/c he came from a back-yard breeder
and doesnt seem they would fork out
un-nessesary money to have that done :?
when I got him at 8 weeks old...all dogs
are born with them right??
I find it strange that his were removed already
b/c he came from a back-yard breeder
and doesnt seem they would fork out
un-nessesary money to have that done :?
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Some dogs ARE NOT born with them, and most good breeders will remove them at 2 days old because there are
no nerve endings there yet so they simply pluck them out. My hospital removes them all the time from large
breed dogs (especially the bully breeds). You wouldn't believe how many dogs would come in having pulled out
their own dewclaws on things and almost bleeding to death, or having pulled them out part ways and it is quite
painful. So many people decide to have them removed during neutering/spaying.
We have yet to have any problems the 5 years I was there. We use a laser method, which removes the nail from
the nailbed. This is a much less painful method compared to the old cut and pull. Not only does the laser heal
faster with much less bloodloss, but in the cut and pull method I have seen the dewclaws grow back (it looks like
a cat's claw.. very thin, sharp, and weird). We generally wrap the foot around the ankle, put a cone on their heads,
and prescribe pain meds. They usually heal in a week or two, the younger the pup the faster it heals.
no nerve endings there yet so they simply pluck them out. My hospital removes them all the time from large
breed dogs (especially the bully breeds). You wouldn't believe how many dogs would come in having pulled out
their own dewclaws on things and almost bleeding to death, or having pulled them out part ways and it is quite
painful. So many people decide to have them removed during neutering/spaying.
We have yet to have any problems the 5 years I was there. We use a laser method, which removes the nail from
the nailbed. This is a much less painful method compared to the old cut and pull. Not only does the laser heal
faster with much less bloodloss, but in the cut and pull method I have seen the dewclaws grow back (it looks like
a cat's claw.. very thin, sharp, and weird). We generally wrap the foot around the ankle, put a cone on their heads,
and prescribe pain meds. They usually heal in a week or two, the younger the pup the faster it heals.
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Hmm, i didnt know some dogs not born with them...but
i'm sure if they can be "plucked" out maybe that is what
was done. He has a little bald spot where his dew claws
SHOULD be, so i assume he DID have them.
Orson was born with his dad's EB tail..
corksrewed, not docked.
i'm sure if they can be "plucked" out maybe that is what
was done. He has a little bald spot where his dew claws
SHOULD be, so i assume he DID have them.
Orson was born with his dad's EB tail..
corksrewed, not docked.
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Yep, some dogs have two dewclaws.. some have none.. some have only one.. some have one on each foot (even the back)
and some have TWO dewclaws on each foot. Briards are by standard supposed to have at least two on each foot, we
groom one that has FOUR dewclaws on her back foot.. :shock:
It's absolutely disgusting!
If I knew what a hassle dewclaws were, I would've had my pom's removed when she was spayed. They are the only nails
that grow because the rest file down themselves, so they constantly curl back into the skin and I have to keep on top of
them. God forbid she ever have to be put under for something, I'll have them lasered then.
and some have TWO dewclaws on each foot. Briards are by standard supposed to have at least two on each foot, we
groom one that has FOUR dewclaws on her back foot.. :shock:
It's absolutely disgusting!
If I knew what a hassle dewclaws were, I would've had my pom's removed when she was spayed. They are the only nails
that grow because the rest file down themselves, so they constantly curl back into the skin and I have to keep on top of
them. God forbid she ever have to be put under for something, I'll have them lasered then.
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What possible purpose does that serve?? :?
Esp. since they are such a hassle, why would you want that as a
standard?
So i guess dog's dew claws are like human's appendix...they serve no purpose except to get removed! :lol:
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Not to be a smart a$$ but would you have your or your childs thumbs removed? Dew claws do serve a purpose. I would only remove them if they were causing a problem or if they were painful to the animal. Just mu opinion.
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You aren't removing the entire thumb, just the nail.. besides animals don't use their thumbs like we and monkeys do.Josie's Proud Mom said:
I'm not exactly sure WHAT the point of them are, probably to hold on to things maybe but I've seen dogs without
them hold their bones so I don't know..
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Removal of the dew claw in pups is the entire dew claw not just the nail. Yoshi's were removed at whelp. It is not something I would lightly consider doing JMO.
Here's a useful liink -http://www.dogfocused.com/dog-health/removing-dew-claws.php
Paula
Here's a useful liink -http://www.dogfocused.com/dog-health/removing-dew-claws.php
Paula
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I've never seen a dog with a dewclaw that touches the ground
:shock:
At my hospital, we laser "declaw" the nail and leave the thumb intact.
I thought it was like that everywhere.. why would they remove the entire thumb?
No wonder people consider it painful, those vet hospitals need to catch up with the times.
Simply declaw the digit, don't remove it.
:shock:
At my hospital, we laser "declaw" the nail and leave the thumb intact.
I thought it was like that everywhere.. why would they remove the entire thumb?
No wonder people consider it painful, those vet hospitals need to catch up with the times.
Simply declaw the digit, don't remove it.
First, wrong. When removing dews, the "toe" is clamped off then cut off with an instrument similar to scissors. If the pups felt no pain, then why in the hell do they scream bloody murder? Same for the tails?
By the time a pup is born, the body & everything within it is fully formed & ready to function on the outside world.....including the nervous system.
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The nervous system develops with time, that's why for some breeds you do the tail and ear cropping at
a couple days old. Again, for the dew claws we used to yank the nail out after putting a little topical on it.
We never removed the entire toe, we remove just the nail and the toe is left behind so it looks like a little
bump (fold your thumb in half, that's what it looks like). We remove the dews like one would declaw a cat.
You wouldn't remove the fingers from a cat, why would you remove the entire thumb of a dog?
I guess people do that somewhere, we never did so it healed faster than anything.
a couple days old. Again, for the dew claws we used to yank the nail out after putting a little topical on it.
We never removed the entire toe, we remove just the nail and the toe is left behind so it looks like a little
bump (fold your thumb in half, that's what it looks like). We remove the dews like one would declaw a cat.
You wouldn't remove the fingers from a cat, why would you remove the entire thumb of a dog?
I guess people do that somewhere, we never did so it healed faster than anything.
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:shock:
What kind of animal hospitals are out there in the United States!?
I'm in NY and we do nothing of the sort here.. ever heard of LASER declawing?
You laser and "kill" the nailbed, which lets the nail come right out and not grow back.
Geez.. are most vets living under a rock somewhere?
What kind of animal hospitals are out there in the United States!?
I'm in NY and we do nothing of the sort here.. ever heard of LASER declawing?
You laser and "kill" the nailbed, which lets the nail come right out and not grow back.
Geez.. are most vets living under a rock somewhere?
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I live in Orange County California, not exactly in the sticks! They removed Heidi's entire toe, not just the nail. She was 6 months old and she will not let me touch her foot at all now without a major struggle. They did it while she was put out but I'm sure she felt pain afterwards. I wish I would have known it would have been so traumatic.
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